Official to city: 'Pay my way'

Published 7:00 pm, Tuesday, August 15, 2006

A regular meeting of the council began after the workshop, and there a Tomball business owner who attended the workshop suggested the city pay the elected officials $500 a month.

"Council members are basically overseeing a corporation with a $40 million budget," local property owner Rodney Hutson said. "Receiving $50 per meeting is ridiculous. Considering the responsibilities of council members, I would recommend $500 a month, minimum. They shouldn't sell themselves short."

Council member Roy Lazenby suggested the idea during the workshop meeting and said he has joined a lot more clubs around town after being elected in May and that he is frequently in the community "promoting" the city.

"I don't think taxpayers expect us to spend our own money out of our own pocket," Lazenby said.

Currently, Tomball city council members receive $50 per public meeting, which in recent months has added up to about a $150 monthly stipend. The mayor receives an extra $200 monthly stipend, in addition to the $50 per meeting.

As requested, Tomball City Manager Ben Griffin compiled a list of what other Houston area city council members and mayors earn for their service. If the surveyed cities also meet three times a month, then the highest paid mayor is in Conroe, where the mayor receives a $1,200 stipend and $150 per meeting. The lowest paid mayors are in Baytown, Friendswood and Galveston, where mayors there don't receive stipends. Three of the surveyed cities offer reimbursement or allowances for automobile expenses, training costs, meals, travel and lodging for training or conventions. Other cities surveyed by Griffin were Alvin, Bellaire, Deer Park, El Campo, Humble, Katy, Lake Jackson, Pasadena, Pearland, Rosenberg, Seabrook, Stafford and Webster.

Tomball City Council member Warren Driver said service to the city shouldn't be cost prohibitive for elected officials, but it shouldn't be profitable, either.

"The reasons people don't serve on the council is because, number one, it takes up all your time; number two, it doesn't pay anything; and number three because you wind up making enemies," Driver said.

"I don't think it's in that order, Warren," fellow councilmember Gretchen Fagan said, eliciting a chuckle from the small audience.

Fagan said she didn't want the city to be obligated to pay her Tomball Rotary Club dues.

"I joined the Rotary Club to promote my business before I was elected to the council," Fagan said. "And my badge says insurance on it, not city councilmember."

Council members David Quinn and Mary Harvey also voiced opposition to the idea. Mayor H.G. "Hap" Harrington said the $50 stipend per meeting has been consistent for at least 15 years.

GAS PRICES:

Though the new fiscal year budget calls for an increase of 5 percent for water and sewer rates, the biggest increase for residential customers will be the natural gas rates. The city had a contract that expired at the end of July for gas services, and since have been paying the market rate which is historically high right now, but it has yet to pass the increase on to consumers, Griffin said.

According to the proposed city budget as of last week's meeting, the gas rates in the city are set to increase by 51.4 percent.

"We're hoping that if we ever catch a low period, we can lock it in," Griffin said. "It's a big guessing game and you hate to be wrong."

Griffin said the prices might decrease in September, when he'll try to lock in a lower rate. But for now, average residential customers will likely see an average monthly bill of $50.15, which is $17.03 more than they currently spend.

"The price is volatile and changes daily based on the weather, gas storage and politics," Griffin wrote in a memo to council members. "The prices looked like they were headed down for several weeks and then the week of July 25 they were actually good, but it only lasted a few days and I wasn't quick enough to lock it in."

CENTENNIAL:

The Tomball Centennial Commission requested unused "future use" hotel and motel taxes be issued to the organization in preparation for the centennial year of activities. The organization requested $83,500 to be used as needed for expenses such as advertising, fireworks, publicity, insurance, security and fees.

Though the Council did not vote on the idea at the workshop meeting, they seemed to be in consensus to allow the commission to access the funds as needed throughout the year. The funds have been sitting in a "future use" account, and are in addition to the $20,000 the organization is budgeted to receive this year from the hotel and motel tourism tax.